This Haynes King stat should have Colorado fans feeling even better

People continue to not give Colorado much of a chance in Friday night's season opener against Georgia Tech. Coming off a 9-4 season in 2024, the general consensus has been that Coach Prime's team will take a significant step back this season without Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter.

But that ignores the fact that Colorado has legitimate depth in the two-deep for the first time since Deion Sanders arrived in Boulder. With Kaidon Salter officially named the starting QB, the Buffaloes already have an identity for this team. Or, at least, they know what they want their identity to be.

Georgia Tech will come to Folsom Field on Friday night as road favorites, a fact that has undoubtedly served as motivation for Colorado this week. So, too, have the words of Yellow Jackets safety Clayton Powell-Lee.

Georgia Tech returns an experienced QB in Haynes King, and many expect him to find great success against a revamped Colorado defense. King is a good player, no doubt, but he also has his flaws. He's one of the best running quarterbacks in the country, and he's a gamer who is willing to do whatever it takes to win.

But he's far from the most polished passer in the country, a fact that could give the Buffs a significant advantage.

Haynes King has struggled mightily against man coverage as a passer

PFF's Max Chadwick shared a stat on Twitter on Wednesday night that should have Colorado fans even more confident heading into Friday night's matchup.

Georgia Tech's Haynes King has struggled mightily against man coverage schemes as a passer. His 54.1 passing grade a year ago against man coverage ranked 126th in the country. Robert Livingston runs a defense that is almost exclusively man-to-man. Colorado ranked 4th in the country in man coverage snaps last season.

It's not a secret that a team coached by Brent Key, a former offensive lineman, will want to control the line of scrimmage and run the football down Colorado's throat. If the Buffs can win the battle up front and take away the Georgia Tech run, it could force King to try and win the game with his arm against coverage schemes that he has historically struggled against during his career.

Forcing King to be a passer will give Coach Prime and his team the best opportunity to pull off what would be considered an "upset" nationally, but anything but for Colorado fans, who have come to expect big wins from the team with Sanders at the helm.